Buggy kept praying Aos would come save the day, but unfortunately Aos had his own task.
"Sorry, Buggy, I've still got things to do. You and Shanks hang on a bit longer."
Aos patted Buggy on the shoulder, then flash-stepped out of the encirclement, cutting a path as he went.
"W–wait… wait… damn it!!"
Buggy was on the verge of tears and could only fight while falling back with Shanks, face long and miserable.
They weren't monsters like Aos. At just twelve, the two of them were decent in a fight, sure—but against this many elite pirates they were getting overwhelmed.
Shanks, though, stayed open-hearted. After saying his goodbyes to Aos, he rejoined the fray against the charging pirates.
"Don't relax, Buggy—the enemy's pushing again!"
"Damn it!!!"
…
Meanwhile, at the main battleground of the Edd War,
Roger and Shiki were smashing Conqueror's Haki against each other, black-red lightning rippling across the field as if to tear the sky apart!
Some of the weaker pirates didn't even dare approach; the pile of "lulled to sleep" veterans on the ground was warning enough.
Their clash was savage.
"Divine Departure!!!"
"Lion—Thousand Slice Valley!!!"
Their techniques collided, and Aos—who'd rushed over to watch—didn't dare blink, eyes locked on two blades that never actually touched.
"No matter how many times I see it, this power still shakes me to the core!"
Conqueror's coating!!!
Aos had gone mad—standing in the teeth of two monstrous auras, spectating at the edge while flooding his Kenbunshoku Haki to feel this inborn might.
Facing a force that could unmake heaven and earth, he admitted it was the first time he'd felt fear.
It wasn't smallness of spirit or will—just a living thing's instinct before death.
He knew that if he took even a few steps closer, no matter how tough his body and how strong his two colors of Haki, this power would grind him to dust.
But Aos didn't back down. He admitted he was gambling.
And clearly, he'd bet right.
At the brink of life and death, people often break through something.
Maybe he'd come too close—tiny cuts began to bloom all over his body; even Busoshoku couldn't guard effectively, and thin lines of blood leaked from his seven orifices.
Still, Aos wouldn't retreat.
Because one step back here would be for life!
If he flinched from someone else's Conqueror's, then by his own understanding of that kingly force, awakening it later would be nearly impossible; at best he'd end up first-mate level.
Then how would he flex? Where's the fun in that?
He refused to be the kind who gets one-shot by a Conqueror's-coated slash—not even Admiral level—and someday can't even stand before Shanks without toppling under Conqueror's pressure!
In his last life, he was stuck at the bottom with no way up.
In this one, he finally had talent and a chance to grow strong.
He would become the strongest man in the world!
The ultimate show-off!
The freest soul!
He'd make them break into a cold sweat just hearing his name!
With that single, stubborn thought filling his chest, Aos stood his ground beneath the baptism of two world-class Conqueror's auras!
KRAK-KRAK-KRAK!!!
Just as Shiki and Roger were in the thick of it, a youthful yet domineering will surged into the battlefield—the black-red lightning suddenly drew their eyes!
Shiki and Roger's eyes went wide—then both burst out laughing.
"Brat, looks like you've got ambitions of your own! Join me, and I'll forget that shot you fired earlier!"
"No can do, Shiki! This kid's one of the futures of the new era!!!"
Far off, Rayleigh and the other officers—locked with enemy cadres—also felt that ultra-pure Conqueror's will and smiled.
The most shocked of all was Buggy, hair whipped by the storm of aura, eyes full of disbelief.
"Eh!!! Aos—he actually awakened Conqueror's Haki?!?!"
"Ara—now that's Aos for you!"
Shanks was much calmer, genuinely happy for his friend's growth.
None of them noticed
an inconspicuous pirate among the Golden Lion Pirates' rabble raising a visual transponder snail.
On the other end,
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"So young and already awakened Conqueror's—this brat on Roger's crew may have potential to rival Roger himself!"
"I know that guy."
At the end of the conference table, a voice sounded from behind Vice Admiral Garp, popping his snot bubble.
"Nani? Is the meeting over?"
"Garp!!!"
Seeing Garp asleep again, Admiral Sengoku ground his teeth, ready to blow—only for Fleet Admiral Kong to stop him.
"Marine from Garp's ship—report in detail."
Kuzan, seated behind Garp, stood up. Jaw tight, he stared at the uniformed youth wreathed in black-red thunder on the snail feed and slowly drew out a wanted poster.
"Target name: Dotor Aos, age twelve. Proficient in two… three colors of Haki, marksmanship, and martial arts. Suspected to possess extremely high mastery of Kenbunshoku; not ruling out that he's among those inheriting Gol D. Roger's mantle!"
If the earlier intel came from years of battles and spending, that last line was pure personal vendetta.
He was a Logia user—and the scar on his thigh still wouldn't fade.
He'd almost gone from future admiral to future admir-ette!
"A monster this young… must be strangled in the cradle!!!"
Hearing Kuzan, Fleet Admiral Kong frowned deeply.
The number of prodigies among pirates kept growing—a massive challenge for the Marines, especially when they were crew under a great pirate like Roger.
And now it was confirmed he had Conqueror's. If he grew and learned Conqueror's coating—
the thought of another Roger-class pirate in the future
weighed on Kong like a leaden stone.
"That gun-toting brat on Roger's ship—he's gotten that far already?" Marine hero Garp mused around a mouthful of senbei,
(￣～￣) crunch
"My senbei!!! Garp!!!"
Sengoku let out a Buddha's bellow.
…
"One after another, and none of you will serve under me!"
"Then die!"
"Cut the big talk, Shiki!"
Bang—
Even with Conqueror's awakened, Aos was still a kid; Roger had to shield him.
A single aftershock from their clashing blades sent Aos flying again.
He righted himself and, instead of bull-heading back into the center, used Geppo to step over to Shanks and Buggy.
Seeing him, Buggy was plainly overjoyed.
"Aos! There are too many—what do we do?"
"Relax, Buggy!"
Aos flicked the rain from his blade and looked up at the roiling sky, as if a storm were brewing.
"You're no less than me and Shanks
—a bearer of Conqueror's Luck!"